Gods/Goddesses & People/Creatures Flashcards
Adad/Ishkur
storm god
associated with various cities
controls rain
Adapa
mythical sage
favorite son of Ea
Adapa & the South Wind
Aga
king of Kis
Anunna
higher gods who forced Igigi gods into labor in the Flood Story
Anu/An
passive/inactive; city of Uruk; reigns over Heaven
Anzu
eagle/lion hybrid from the wilderness who stole the Tablet of Destinies from Enlil and as a result is defeated by Ninurta
Apkallu/Abgal
mythical sages who are in-between worlds
Apsu/Abzu
god of fresh water; Epic of Creation
Atrahasis
“exceedingly wise,” Ea/Enki used Atrahasis to save humanity in the Flood Story
Awilu
humans; derived from the god We implying that humans have the divine spark of a rebellious god
Belet-ili
“Mistress of the Gods,” god of birth; fused with Mami and Nintu (syncretism)
Bir Hartura
royal guard/”slave”
Cyrus the Great
Persian Emperor who conquered the Neo-Babylonian Empire
Dumuzi
god of herding; Inanna’s husband whom she sacrifices in her stead when she finds that he has not mourned her death in Inanna’s Descent
Ea/Enki
god of subterranean water; city of Eridu; magic/craft (Nudiummund “the fashioner/crafter”), wisdom; helps humans
Enkidu
Gilgamesh’s wild counterpart
Enlil
chief god; city of Nippur; reigns over Earth; bestows kingship; often referred to as the great Mountain
Ereshkigal
“Queen of the Underworld”
Etana
first king of Kis, the “shepherd”
Etemmu/Gidim
ghost, in-between worlds
Gala-tura
asexual figure made from the dirt under the fingernails of the deities by Enki in order to save Inanna from Ereshkigal
Gallu/Galla
demon, in-between worlds
Gilgamesh
king of Uruk
Hammurapi
mos famous Mesopotamian king, reigned during Old Babylonian period
Igigi
lesser gods who revolted
Kug-Bau
woman tavern-keeper (could be a moral version of a goddess) mentioned in SKL
Kur-Jara
asexual figure made from the dirt under the fingernails of the deities by Enki in order to save Inanna from Ereshkigal
Mami
goddess of birth; Enlil renamed her “mistress of the gods” in Anzu, the Bird who Stole Destiny, in exchange for her son’s conquest over Anzu
Mami
goddess of birth; Enlil renamed her “mistress of the gods” in Anzu, the Bird who Stole Destiny, in exchange for her son’s conquest over Anzu
Marduk
slays Tiamat in Epic of Creation; associatec with Babylon
Nergal
god of death, plague, water; dual nature as both heavenly and belonging to the underworld; mortal kings claim to be doing Nergal’s work; symbols are lion-headed mace, double scimitars, trampling/crushing bodies; as son of Enlil, also called “Enlil of the Underworld,” “Great Mountain of the Underworld”
Nintu
goddess of birth
Ninurta
god of agriculture, symbol if the plow; city of Nippur; fused with Ningirsu (syncretism); defeats Anzu in Anzu, the Bird who Stole Destiny and earns the title “vice regent of Enlil,” “Son of King of Inhabited World
Nisaba
goddess of writing/scribes
Sargon the Great
conquered most of Babylonia during the Old Akkadian Period
Shamash/Utu
sun god; city of Larsa/Sippar; passes judgement and delivers justice
Sin
moon god; city of Ur; associated with fertility (moon cycles) and divination
Sukkallu/Sukkal
minimal gods, messengers, viziers, able to move between worlds
Tiamat
goddess of the sea; Marduk defeats her in Epic of Creation and uses her carcass to make/order the world
Troops
mountain barbarians from Gutium who ravaged Mesopotamia; no king; not considered Mesopotamian (mentioned in Ur III SKL)
We
leader of the rebellious Igigi gods in the Flood Story
sacrificed to crate humans
